Preparations for Putin-Trump Talks Delayed Days Following Budapest Negotiations Proposed
There are "no arrangements" for American leader Donald Trump to confer with Russia's Putin "anytime soon", a White House official has declared.
This past week the US president indicated he and the Russian president would conduct negotiations in Hungary's capital soon to address the Ukraine conflict.
A planning session between America's top diplomat Secretary Rubio and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov was due to be held recently - but the administration stated the two had had a "constructive" call and that a meeting was no longer "required".
The White House did not share any more details on why the talks had been postponed.
Earlier Events
Trump had discussed a Budapest summit via telephone with Putin, a just prior to hosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office.
Various sources claimed his talks with Zelensky had been a "contentious discussion", with sources indicating the president had urged him to cede extensive regions of eastern Ukraine as part of a agreement with Russia.
Nevertheless, on this week the American president endorsed a truce plan backed by Ukraine and European leaders to freeze the hostilities on the existing battle lines.
"Leave it as is in its current state," he remarked.
Moscow has frequently resisted against freezing the existing front lines.
The Russian government was solely focused on "permanent resolution", Russia's foreign minister said on Tuesday, suggesting that halting hostilities would only amount to a short-term truce.
Political Perspectives
The "fundamental issues" of the hostilities required resolution, Lavrov stated, using Moscow's terminology for a set of extensive requirements that encompass the recognition of complete Moscow control over the Donbas as well as the military reduction of Ukraine – a impossible condition for Kyiv and its European partners.
Zelensky stated talks regarding the current lines were the "start of negotiations" but that Moscow was "doing everything" to avoid diplomacy.
He also said the only topic that could cause Russia to "pay attention" was that of the supply of long-range weapons to the Ukrainian military.
Strategic Factors
Putin's spontaneous discussion with the US leader recently came ahead of rumors that the United States was considering delivering distance-capable weapons to Ukraine that could potentially strike Russian territory.
The Ukrainian leader stated it was the weapons consideration that had compelled Moscow to enter into dialogue. The conversation concerning the weapons systems had turned out to be a "valuable contribution" in international relations", he remarked.